1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fasteners.
2. Description of Related Art
Many common fasteners require a certain amount of force to engage and detach the joining members. For instance, "snap on" buttons must be pushed together and pulled apart, screws must be rotated in and out, and zippers must be pulled up and down to actuate the same. None of these fasteners are conducive to rapid engagement or detachment of the joining members. The introduction of hook and loop material, sold under the trademark "VELCRO", alleviated this problem by allowing two joining members to be easily and quickly fastened together and pulled apart. Unfortunately, VELCRO has a somewhat limited pull strength. Such material is typically used for garments which have low pull loads and cannot be used to attach heavy objects such as cargo containers. It would therefore be desirable to have a fastener that can be readily fastened and detached, and has the pull strength for heavy industrial uses.
Additionally, most fasteners are not constructed or adapted so that a plurality of fasteners can be simultaneously engaged and detached. Such an arrangement can be highly desirable for certain applications. For example, a rectangular cargo container may be attached to another container at the four corners of the box. Fastening or disconnecting the containers usually requires the individual attachment or detachment of each fastener. Such a procedure results in extended loading or unloading time of the containers. It would therefore be desirable to have a plurality of fasteners that can be simultaneously engaged and detached.